Saturday, June 25, 2016

Interesting

For whatever reason, I chose to go blackberry picking again today. Honestly, I think it is a zen, well not zen, but just a happy place I reach when I feel them pop off the branch and hear them plop into the bucket. I have realized that if you go on a Saturday after lunch, you will hit a whole lot of people who would not be there during the week. For a good portion of my time there, a picked alongside a young couple and their baby in a stroller. The poor child was burning up and hiccuping up a storm...I felt so bad for her. The wife was pushing the umbrella stroller through four wheel drive stroller territory and trying to pick blueberries and keep her daughter from eating the bugs that landed on her. Her husband, being not helpful at all, was spouting off his blueberry knowledge at a volume loud enough for everyone in the metro area to hear. "Well, I can't believe this guy doesn't have cheesecloth draped over his berries. We had a few plants in our yard and that's what we always did To keep the birds from eating the berries." Well, um, a few plants in your yard versus acres is a big difference. He also spouted off what his Intro to Horticulture prof said and how, again, "the guy who owns this place" isn't doing it right. The man, Dennis Fox, has degrees in food science, biochemistry and horticulture. I moved on and picked elsewhere. The poor woman who picked near me when I moved was so excited. "Mom? I am here at a berry picking place and am in the middle of TONS of red raspberries. I have so many recipes I'm going to try. EPIC." I was torn as to what to do and then a little lady came to her and said, "Honey? You have a big bucket full of unripe blackberries. You're gonna have to wait on those." Cue sad trombone...wah wah wah waaaah. I ended up with two buckets again. Very happy with my haul, but it was hot for sure.